Abstract: A method is provided for planarization of structures which minimizes step heights, reduces process steps, improves cleanliness, and provides increased ease of debond. Structures are placed with working surfaces facing down onto an adhesive layer such that structures remain fixed during heating. A bi-layer encapsulating film is used to achieve planarization. A carrier is bi-laminated with a thermoplastic film layer followed by a chemically inert protective polymer film layer that can withstand etch and cleaning processes. The thermoplastic layer is laminated on top of the carrier; the polymer layer is laminated on top of the joined thermoplastic layer and carrier. The carrier with bi-layer film is then placed onto the backside of the structures to resist chemical attack from the front side during photostrip and enable planarization. When heat is applied, the bi-layer encapsulating film melts and pushes the polymer layer into the gaps between structures thereby achieving complete planarization.

Abstract: A process to reduce step heights in planarization of thin film carriers in an encapsulation system. The improvements include using an adhesive tape having a thinner adhesive thickness and a stiffer tape for the film sealing the encapsulant on the carrier to result in a low step height surface transition between the carrier and the cured encapsulant. The composition of the encapsulant is modified to reduce the shrinkage upon curing of the encapsulant. The encapsulant may include an absorbent that absorbs the irradiation and cause the top surface to harden first compared to the bulk of the encapsulant, and/or a gas-emitting additive that creates gaseous products that expand upon irradiation to thereby reduce the shrinkage of the encapsulant upon curing. Alternatively, irradiation at very low incidence angle relative to the top surface of the encapsulant causes the top surface to harden before the bulk of the encapsulant.

Abstract: A disconnect device is provided in which input and output elements 2 and 4 axially overlap and are drivingly interconnected by balls 14 which extend from a recess the radially innermost element into a channel in the radially outermost element. The balls are held in position by a keeper 16 which is axially movable to release the balls and disconnect the drive.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a substitute font that visually approximates a selected font that is unavailable in a computer system is provided. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method and system first selects as the substitute font a font that is available in the computer system. The method and system then adjusts the overall widths of the characters of the substitute font to match the overall widths of the corresponding characters of the selected font. This causes the same combinations of characters of the substitute font and of the selected font to have substantially the same size and appearance. The method and system then makes the substitute font available to a program that has requested the selected font.

Abstract: A disconnect device is provided in which input and output elements 2 and 4 axially overlap and are drivingly interconnected by balls 14 which extend from a recess the radially innermost element into a channel in the radially outermost element. The balls are held in position by a keeper 16 which is axially movable to release the balls and disconnect the drive.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a transducer slider. the present invention relates to a method for producing a transducer slider. The method involves first coating a substrate with a radiation-sensitive layer and exposing the radiation-sensitive layer to radiation according to an intensity pattern. Preferably, the intensity pattern is provided using a grayscale mask. Once the image is developed into the radiation-sensitive layer, the image is transferred into the substrate to form a transducer slider having a surface profile comprising a tapered edge. In the alternative or in addition, the surface profile may comprise a rounded corner. The invention also relates to a structure for forming a transducer slider.

Abstract: A system and method for providing transaction indivisibility in a transaction processing system through the use of commonly-accessible modules for monitoring and maintaining proper source message sequencing is provided. A source message is transmitted from the host processing unit upon recovery of a failure of the host processing unit, where the source message includes information destined for the database, and an identifying sequence number. The identifying sequence number is compared to a stored sequence number, where the stored sequence number is associated with an immediately preceding source message received prior to the failure of the host processing unit. A source message indivisibility failure is indicated where the identifying sequence number is not consecutive with respect to the stored sequence number, while the source message is added to a message execution queue if the identifying sequence number is consecutive with respect to the stored sequence number.

Abstract: A system and method for assembling database restoration data according to transaction in a transaction processing system. Database restoration data is collated by chronologically storing updated database records in distinct storage banks partitioned according to its corresponding transaction. Resulting database record blocks from storage banks associated with completed database transactions are queued in the order that their corresponding transactions were completed. The queued database record blocks are transferred to storage media, whereby the queued database record blocks are arranged on the storage media according to transaction, and in the order that the active transactions were completed.

Abstract: A device for and method of ergonomically removing parts from a parts bin, so that an operator does not have to unnecessarily bend to remove parts, using an open-ended bin, a platform removably contained within the bin, and a mechanism for lifting the platform which is, also, removably contained within the bin. The mechanism for lifting the platform may be a manually operated or automatically operated scissor-type jack, hydraulic cylinder, or pneumatic cylinder. Also, the platform may be vertically adjusted by a spring whose spring constant is chosen to correspond to the weight of the parts within the bin.

Abstract: A device for and method of ergonomically removing parts from a parts bin, so that an operator does not have to unnecessarily bend to remove parts, using an open-ended bin, a platform removably contained within the bin, and a mechanism for lifting the platform which is, also, removably contained within the bin. The mechanism for lifting the platform may be a manually operated or automatically operated scissor-type jack, hydraulic cylinder, or pneumatic cylinder. Also, the platform may be vertically adjusted by a spring whose spring constant is chosen to correspond to the weight of the parts within the bin.

Abstract: A system and method for organizing and managing recovery information on a per-transaction basis using distinct memory structures is provided. A transaction processing system includes one or more transaction request units for initiating data transactions with a database. A memory architecture includes storage modules to store transaction recovery information that is used in recovering from a transaction processing failure, and further includes transaction descriptor memory structures each of which correspond to a distinct transaction. The transaction descriptors allow access to the transaction recovery information to be isolated from other transaction recovery information. A control information field in each transaction descriptor stores a transaction identifier that identifies the distinct transaction to which it corresponds.

Abstract: An improved process for making thin film magnetic heads using an insulation comprising a polymer, a crosslinking agent, and 4-sulfonate diazonaphthoquinone.

Abstract: A system and method for balancing database transaction request distribution between various hosts in a multiprocessor transaction processing system is provided. The transaction processing system includes a database and multiple host processors each coupled to at least one database transaction request unit. Database transaction requests sent from the host processors are collectively entered into a commonly-accessible load balancing queue. Each database transaction request is accompanied by a source identifier that identifies the database transaction request unit which initiated the corresponding database transaction request. The queued database transaction requests from the load balancing queue are processed by currently-available host processors, regardless of which host processor initiated the database transaction request.

Abstract: The invention relates to an ambient light electrophoretic display comprising a plurality of cells containing a suspension of charged pigment particles in a light-transmissive fluid. Each cell comprises a light-transmissive front window, a nonobstructing collecting electrode and counter electrode disposed in the cell, and a panel having a reflective or absorbing surface.

Abstract: The invention relates to an aqueous ink composition for use in ink jet printers comprising an aqueous carrier; a pigment; and a copolymer comprising a hydrophilic segment having an acidic function group, and a hydrophobic segment having a hydrolytically stable siloxyl substituent.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a substitute font that visually approximates a selected font that is unavailable in a computer system is provided. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method and system first selects as the substitute font a font that is available in the computer system. The method and system then adjusts the overall widths of the characters of the substitute font to match the overall widths of the corresponding characters of the selected font. This causes the same combinations of characters of the substitute font and of the selected font to have substantially the same size and appearance. The method and system then makes the substitute font available to a program that has requested the selected font.

Abstract: The invention relates to an ambient light electrophoretic display comprising a plurality of cells containing a suspension of charged pigment particles in a light-transmissive fluid. Each cell comprises a light-transmissive front window, a nonobstructing collecting electrode and counter electrode disposed in the cell, and a panel having a reflective or absorbing surface.

Abstract: An improved process for making thin film magnetic heads using an insulation comprising a polymer, a crosslinking agent, and 4-sulfonate diazonaphthoquinone.

Abstract: A spin valve magnetoresistive (SVMR) sensor uses a laminated antiparallel (AP) pinned layer in combination with an improved antiferromagnetic (AF) exchange biasing layer. The pinned layer comprises two ferromagnetic films separated by a nonmagnetic coupling film such that the magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic films are strongly coupled together antiferromagnetically in an antiparallel orientation. This laminated AP pinned layer is magnetically rigid in the small field excitations required to rotate the SVMR sensor's free layer. When the magnetic moments of the two ferromagnetic layers in this AP pinned layer are nearly the same, the net magnetic moment of the pinned layer is small. However, the exchange field is correspondingly large because it is inversely proportional to the net magnetic moment. The laminated AP pinned layer has its magnetization fixed or pinned by an AF material that is highly corrosion resistant but that has an exchange anisotropy too low to be usable in conventional SVMR sensors.